Thanksgiving Success

So I made it through Thanksgiving, and it was a success!  This was the first time that I made a meat-free meal for this holiday.  Last year I did not celebrate Thanksgiving at all.  I had just lost my aunt and I was sad and not feeling very thankful at that time.  Even more, I knew that my guests were not going to be happy to have a meat-free meal, and I wasn't up to working very hard to try to please anyone. 

This year, I decided to take on the challenge, although to a small group of people. So I decided to do Thanksgiving lunch for just my husband, children and my mother. This made seven of us, which was just the right amount to try something new...Tofurky Roast!

I decided to make most of the same great traditional dishes (although meat-free) and this year instead of a turkey, we will have a Tofurky Roast. I was looking forward to making this thing that I had heard so much about. I wondered is it going to taste like turkey, and more importantly, was my family going to like it?

I bought two roasts, just because I wasn't sure how much it will make and how much they will eat. They are much smaller than I imagined. The directions said to roast with vegetable and to baste with a mix of oil and soy sauce, so I did. Let me tell you, this was much easier that cooking a turkey. There was no getting up at 5am to prepare, clean and stuff the turkey and even better...no turkey had to die!

I was really worried that my children were going to think I was crazy, but they embraced my new Thanksgiving tradition and they actually tried the Tofurky. They didn't love it, but they said it was okay and I was happy with that. Even my mother ate it and I could not believe that.  She calls our vegan food "funny food"! 

My husband loved it...yay!! I suppose since he is more used to meat-free food that it didn't not taste strange to him. He especially liked the rice stuffing inside. I also enjoyed it. With some gravy and a little cranberry sauce, it is really good.

For the rest of the meal, I made mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, cornbread stuffing, pasta salad, roasted veggies, pumpkin cupcakes for dessert, and all of it with out any animal products.  My family ate all of it and enjoyed it.  Some went back for seconds and thirds. 

So my first Vegan Thanksgiving was a success. If I can feed this food to the children and my mother without any complaints, then I think next year I'll be ready to take on the rest of the family :)